At the yoga studio where I practice, one of the instructors a few months ago added a silent meditation with two components. First, as we settled into a stretching pose, she asked us to count on one hand five things we were grateful for. “I am grateful for … my health, my family, personal freedom, Continue reading “I Am Love”
Category: Personal Growth
One Thing My Kids Gave Me
One of the hardest realizations I have come to in my adult life, was realizing several years ago that I was not being completely genuine with myself. In my work, in my marriage, in my relationships with my friends and my children, I had compromised myself over and over again for decades, Continue reading “One Thing My Kids Gave Me”
Nexus
One of my favorite expressions in the mountains turns out also to be a pretty nice metaphor for moving through what I hope is the middle of my life. One of my first friends in Colorado, Brent, introduced me to mountaineering, and we’ve been up several mountains together, including Continue reading “Nexus”
Mind Distortion
I believe it’s possible for our experiences to deviate from reality. After all, everything we experience is processed through our mind, so it stands to reason the mind itself can get in the way, distorting the truth of an experience. I’ve seen this in my own life: I tell myself a story and keep Continue reading “Mind Distortion”
The Cutting Board
I’ve come to learn just a small amount about cooking in the past few years. Still an absolute novice, I stick with simple recipes and a small number of ingredients. Nonetheless I’ve discovered a new appreciation for this transformative work in the kitchen. Long ago, I was presented with the gift of a cutting board from Continue reading “The Cutting Board”
A Place To Put The Stickers
The carrying case for my digital piano. For years, I resisted putting stickers on my case. I wasn’t sure I wanted them there, because I don’t usually prefer the scattered disorganization, and I knew once the first sticker got stuck, there was no going back. Finally, when my daughter was about 5 years old and Continue reading “A Place To Put The Stickers”
Who They Are
In my encounters with other people, especially challenging encounters that tackle tenuous issues where there may be tension or disagreement, I try to keep in mind the other person, and I try to be curious about Who They Are:
- What do they fear?
- What do they believe?
- What do they need?
Hakuna Matata
The scene from The Lion King where Rafiki the baboon smacks Simba the lion in the head. “Why did you do that?” “It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past.” “Yeah but it still hurts.”
It’s tempting to ignore the past or dismiss it. This may feel easier, but it’s Continue reading “Hakuna Matata”
What We Think, We Become
“Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny! What we think, we become.”
Making Room For The Life That Is
I have learned that suffering only increases when I dwell on what I imagine my life should be. My only hope for a peaceful heart is to give up the life I imagine for myself, to make room for the life that is. Making that choice, over and over again, is a daily – no, hourly – struggle. Sometimes I succeed but mostly I forget, and I suffer.
The Rapture of Being Alive
“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive … so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”
– Joseph Campbell
If Campbell is right – and he spent a half a century studying the religions, Continue reading “The Rapture of Being Alive”
Purpose of Meditation
The purpose of meditation is to no longer be perpetually identified by the content of my thoughts. The thoughts are merely thoughts, nothing in and of themselves, meaning they require some sort of action from me to become real. So meditation is a means to discover who is there, and what is he like, when the constant deluge of thoughts can be quietly set aside.
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